Folding sectional top table



Jan. 18, 1955 s ow 2,699,977

FOLDING SECTIONAL TOP TABLE Filed April 9, 1953 lmlhlth I :1 2 a INVENTOR. g [Em 5 5.940

United States Patent FOLDING SECTIONAL TOP TABLE Leon Breslow, New York, N. Y.

Application April 9, 1953, Serial No. 347,746

1 Claim. (Cl. 311-89) The invention herein disclosed relates to tables of relatively large size such as used for ping pong and other game playing purposes.

Objects of the invention are to provide a table of this type which will be strong and firm of game playing and like purposes and which will be foldable into compact form for storing in a closet or the like.

Special objects of the invention are to provide a table of these characteristics which can be quickly and easily folded or set up for use.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a table having all these advantages, which will be of relatively simple, inexpensive construction.

Other desirable objects and the novel features through which the purposes of the invention are attained are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates a present practical embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawing is a perspective view of the table set up for use, with the two independent, self-sustaining sections of the table coupled in abutting end-to-end relation;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the two table sections and the coupling sleeves by which they are joined together, the section at the left being shown with the slides connecting the hinged panels of that section in rigid table top forming relation, and the section at the right being shown with the slides withdrawn to permit the hingedly connected panels of that section being folded together;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken sectional detail across one of the coupling sleeves, taken on substantially the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a broken sectional detail on substantially the plane of line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a broken cross sectional detail of one of the panel connecting slides, on substantially the plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged end elevation showing one of the table sections in completely folded relation.

In Fig. 1 the table is shown as made up of two complementary, independent and self-sustaining, substantially square table sections joined together in abutting end-toend engagement to constitute a single elongated table structure suitable for playing such games as table tennis and the like.

Each of the table halves or sections is shown made up of two top panels 7 and 8 hingedly connected together at 9 along the longitudinal center line and each panel having two folding legs 10 and 11 at the outer corners.

These legs are indicated as pivoted at 12 to suitable supporting brackets 13 on the underside of the panels and braces of conventional design may be provided to secure them in extended relation. In the collapsed condition they may fold flat against the underside of the top panels and the legs of each pair are shown as oppositely tapered at 14 so that they may fold in close overlapping relation, as indicated in Fig. 2,

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The two panels of each table unit are braced and secured in extended, flat, table formation by slides 15 operable in guides 16 secured to the underside of the panels.

These slides, as shown at the left in Fig. 2, are long enough to extend from the guide 16 on one panel across the hinge line well into the opposing guide on the other panel, to fully secure and brace the panels in extended, flat relation, and on the other hand are short enough to be withdrawn from the channels on one panel, behind the hinge line, into fully supported relation in one set of guides, as shown at the right in Fig. 2.

When put together in the abutting end-to-end relation shown in Fig. 1, the table sections are coupled and held in alignment by suitable coupling means such as flattened rectangular sleeves 17 engaged in aligning pairs of slots 18 in the opposing ends of the top panels.

These coupling sleeves may have a light frictional wedging engagement in the slots so as to hold the table sections firmly together but permit ready separation of the sections.

When the table sections are separated, the legs folded and the slide bolts withdrawn to relatively free the panels, as at the right in Fig. 2, the panels may be hinged together along the axis 9, as indicated in Fig. 6, to form a compact flat package with the folded legs and slides all at the inside.

To further enclose the parts in this relation and to provide reinforcements for the panels, dependent side flanges 19, 20, are provided along the edge portions of each pair of panels, one flange set inward from the other sufficiently for them to overlap in the folded relation shown in Fig. 6.

Each pair of panels folded with the legs inside may be secured in closed relation by suitable fastenings such as hooks and eyes 21, 22.

These folded sections may be somewhat tapering in cross section, as indicated in Fig. 6, and for compactness these tapered sections may be stacked in reverse relation to take up small space in a closet or other place.

What is claimed is:

A folding sectional top table comprising companion table top panels hingedly connected along their inner,

meeting edges and having dependent skirt flanges along I their outer edges offset to overlap in the hingedly folded relation of the panels and thereby to enclose space be tween the folded panels, supporting legs connected with the panels and foldable into said space provided between the folded panels, opposing guides on the undersides of the panels aligned at opposite sides of the hinge axis, slides receptive in the guides at one side of the hinge axis and extensible therefrom across the hinge axis into the guides at the opposite side of the hinge axis for securing the panels across the hinge line in flat extended relation and said guides and slides being contained within the enclosed space between the hingedly folded panels and whereby when the slides are retracted and the legs are folded, the table top panels may be hinged together to fully enclose and protect the supporting leg and securing slide structures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 229,497 Trilk June 29, 1880 309,738 Pell Dec. 23, 1884 575,957 Kaiser Jan. 26, 1897 970,774 Young Sept. 20, 1910 1,048,596 Sedaj Dec. 31, 1912 1,051,983 Brown Feb. 4, 1913 1,154,692 Dehullu Sept. 28, 1915 1,812,196 Brown June 30, 1931 1,854,129 Folson Apr. 12, 1932 2,403,338 Butler July 2, 1946 2,451,763 Misko Oct. 19, 1948 

